The present invention resides in a method and apparatus for producing snow and, more particularly, a method and apparatus for producing snow at marginal ambient temperatures while, at the same time, eliminating compressed air line freeze-up and oil contamination.
In the snow-making art, it is well known to mix compressed air and pressurized water in a cold ambient atmosphere to produce a stream of snow particles. Typical snow-making apparatus are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,964,682 and 3,761,020, incorporated herein by reference, and comprise a plurality of snow-making nozzles which are fed compressed air and pressurized water through separate lines. The flow of compressed air and pressurized water to the nozzles of the snow-making apparatus are provided by conventional air compressors and water pump equipment. The compressors and pump equipment are generally located down the mountain far from the snow-making apparatus. The compressed air and pressurized water is fed to the snow-making apparatus via pipelines generally located beneath the surface of the earth. The pipelines connect to hoses which lead the compressed air and water respectively from the pipelines to the snow-making equipment nozzles. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,682.
Heretofore it has been extremely costly difficult to convert water into snow at marginal ambient temperatures, that is temperatures of about 30.degree. to 32.degree. F., due to the need of high volume costly compressed air. Presently, all known snowmakers rely on the ambient temperature and humidity for the amount of snow they can produce.
In addition, there has been a problem with line freeze-up in the hose delivering the compressed air from the pipeline to the nozzles. A further problem has been encountered with freezing of the nozzles themselves. It has been found that the freeze-up in the hose and nozzles occurs as a result of condensation which forms in the compressed air pipeline. The heat produced by the operation of the compressors results in a water condensate forming in the pipeline. The condensate freezes as it passes through the pipeline and hoses to the nozzles of the snow-making equipment due to the temperature of the ambient environment. Freezing of the hoses and nozzles requires that the snow-making equipment be shut down and thawed thereby resulting in lost snow production.
In addition to the foregoing, there has been a serious problem with oil in the compressed air pipeline. Oil is located in the compressor sump for the purpose of lubricating the moving parts of the compressor. During operation of the compressor a certain amount of the oil blows by the pistons of the compressors and is pumped with the compressed air into the compressed air pipeline. The oil particles are carried with the compressed air to the nozzles of the snow-making apparatus where it mixes with the snow and is spread on the ground. Later, when the snow melts, the oil is carried off with the water which results in oil contamination of the watersheds and streams.
Naturally, it would be highly desirable to develop a method and apparatus for producing snow which is efficient and effective even at marginal snow-making temperatures and does not suffer from line freeze-up and oil contamination.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for producing snow which is efficient and effective at marginal snow-making temperatures.
It is a further principal object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for effectively removing oil particles and condensation from a stream of compressed air being fed to a snow-making apparatus.
It is a particular object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for making snow and removing oil particles and condensation from a stream of compressed air which is inexpensive and efficient to operate.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear hereinbelow.